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(No Model.)

F. J. OLAMER. ALVANIG BOILER CLEANING COMPOUND G 387,146. Patented July31, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Current FRANCIS J. CLAMER, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OF TWO-THIRDS TO CHARLES YVOLTERS AND JOSEPH G.HENDRIOKSON,

- BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

VGAL VANIC BOILER CLEANING COMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,146, dated duly 31,1888.

Application filed January 31, 1888. Serial No. 62,508. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. CLAMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGalvanic Boiler-Cleaning Compounds; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable IO others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothelet' ters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to means for cleaning or removing what istechnically known as boiler-scale from steam boilers and generators andfor preventing the formation of such scale therein.

: In an application filed on even date herewith, Serial No. 262,506, Ihave described and claimed zinc as an agent or means for producing theseresults, and in asecond application, also filed on even date herewith,Serial No.

262,507, I have described and claimed a metallic compound consisting ofzinc and phos phorus for the same purpose in other conditions of water.

The presentinvention contemplates the combination with said compound ofa third element or ingredient-to wit, copper, which I introducein watersstrongly impregnated with acids or alkalies,or both. A piece of suchcompound (zinc, phosphorus, and copper) placed 3 5 in the water in or tobe fed into a steam-boiler will; entirely prevent the formation ofscale, will neutralize and destroy the hydrogen gases, and will dissolveand break up the scale previously formed, thus restoring an incrusted oboiler to its original state of cleanness and purity.

As I believe the compound described and claimed in this application tobe new for the purpose described, I do not desire to be understood aslimiting myself to any partic ular manner of applying or using the same,as its good effects will be produced irrespective of the manner in whichthe compound is employed;

but I prefer to suspend the compound in the water of theboiler-generator or preliminary heating device in the manner set forthin the two applications to which I have made reference hereinbefore; andit will also be under stood that the compound produces its effectwhether placed in the water in the boiler or generator directly or in apreliminary heating device for water to be fed into the boiler orgenerator; and I prefer to use some conducting metal forasuspendingmeans for the compound when it is suspendedas, for instance and bypreference, copper wire or other copper connection; and where thecompound is suspended in a net, basket, or bag, as may be done toutilize broken pieces, 850., I prefer to form the basket of copper wire.

As described in the applications already re ferred to, the compositionmay be formed into any convenient shape-as, for instance, a plate ormass of any other shapeand I prefer to perforate, indent, or serrate thesaid plate or mass to increase its effective exposed surface.

The accompanying drawings illustrate what I consider the best means forcarrying my invention into practice.

Figure 1 is a section of a boiler with the composition suspended, andalso placed upon the boiler-iron. Fig. 2 is asection of a feedwaterheater applied to a boiler with the composition in it. Fig. 3 is a faceview of a plate having perforations, serrations, &c., to expose agreater superficial area of the composition.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A is the boiler, generator, or heater, and B the metallic compound whichI place therein. 85 This compound, being zinc, phosphorus, and copper,may be made in the form ofa plate or mass, as shown at the left hand inFig. 1 and in Fig. 3, perforated, indented, or serrated in order toincrease its exposed area, as shown at b,- or it may be in the planeform of a mass or plate, or in broken pieces, as shown in the basket,bag, or net to the right hand of Fig. 1; and in whatever shape thecompound is formed it may be applied either by suspending it or 5placing it directly upon the boiler-iron, both of which methods areshown in Fig. 1; or it may be placed in the water of the boiler,generator, or heater in any other way that is convenient, as upon thetubes or elsewhere. I prefer, however, to suspend it, for the reasonsgiven in my applications already referred to, because the results arebetter when suspended; and when suspended a conducting wire orconnection, O, is employed, preferably copper, which is attached to thetubes, braces, or other parts of the boiler above; and when theperforated plate is employed the wire will be interlaced in the openings2), as shown, and when the basket, net, or bag is used this ispreferably made of the same conducting substance as wire C.

With the copper wire to suspend the part B, I believe it practicable todispense with copper as an elementin the plate; but it will be foundpreferable, I think, to have the compound itself contain all threeelements.

It will be understood that the number of plates or parts B may be variedaccording to the requirements of differentsized boilers or generators.In boilers where sufficient extent of surface may be had upon one plateor mass one plate may be found more convenient than a larger number. Inlarger boilers, Where more than one plate is necessary, I prefer toplace the plates at regular intervals therein, so that their effect ismore thoroughly diffused over the boiler. The composite metal (zinc,phosphorus, and copper) suspended in the water of a boiler, generator,or feed-water heater createsa galvanic current in the water, whichcleanses it from all scale-producing elements,

separating the acids from the alkalies and preventing the formation ofscale from these causes and from the production of hydrogen gases, whichthe presence of the copper destroys, and also loosens and dissolves thealready deposited scale, thus completely cleansing the boiler orgenerator and restoring it to usefulness and prolonging its life, thephosphorus acting as a deoxidizing metalloid in this composition, as itdoes where it is combined with zinc alone.

For ordinary water I have found that the composite metal may be made ofabout the following proportions: sixteen (16) parts of zinc, one (1)part of phosphorus, and one (1) part of copper; but it will beunderstood that these proportions can be varied to any extent requiredby the character of the water.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

1. A composite metal for preventing the formation of scale in andremoving scale from steam boilers and generators, consisting of zinc,phosphorus, and copper.

2. A plate or mass of zinc, phosphorus, and copper, perforated,indented, or serrated for use in water in and to be fed into steamboilers and generators, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS J. GLAMER.

Witnesses:

J. G. HENDRIOKSON, I. N. KALB.

